Home of a mother, wife, writer

If you caught my Theme Reveal post, you already know what this year’s A-Z challenge is about for me. If not, well, I’ll wait. 😉 Okay, back? If you’ve read either Into the Sun or Come Back Down(and hopefully both…they’re available on Wattpad), you know some of Icarus & Cassie’s background. If not, some of it will become clear through these posts. And their future as well. There may be some spoilers to those as well as Dance with the Devil(which I’m hoping to start posting to Wattpad soon). But, I hope you’ll enjoy the rest of their journey.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Icarus crossed the yard and felt his smile spread as he saw what–who–waited for him up on the porch. There wasn’t anything he could do to restrain that smile. Nothing he really wanted to do. After nearly nineteen years of thinking he’d never even lay eyes on her again, it was good to get to see Cassie every day. Several times a day. He certainly wouldn’t trade that for anything.

Well, nothing, except take away the years they’d spent apart, the years both she and their son had been hurt. But, he knew even better than most that you couldn’t get that time back. The only thing to do was move forward. So, that’s what he did.

He stopped with one foot on the bottom step and held his hand out toward her. “Will you walk with me, Cassie?”

Her return smile was soft, sweet, and a little wistful. He wondered if she remembered him asking her almost the same thing all those years before. Except back then she climbed on the back of his bike and wrapped her arms tight around his waist. That had begun their nearly six-month adventure.

Until her father had caught up to them and ended everything. If he’d known she carried his child…No, he wasn’t sure there was anything he could have done differently. Her father wouldn’t have let him close enough to do anything differently.

None of that should matter now. She was here with him now. And so was their son. Icarus had lost eighteen years with them, but he certainly wouldn’t waste another moment.

Cassie took his hand and came down the steps to join him. Unfortunately it was going to have to be a fairly quick walk. They had a meeting coming up. Icarus hoped it would remain a routine one, just going over the club’s old business and anything new that had come up. It was the new business that had him worried. Hopefully the men who were out around town would bring back all good news.

But, he knew perfectly well he couldn’t count on that.

Things had been quiet for several months. Ever since they’d struck a tenuous truce with the Ivory Crows. He didn’t know how much longer that would last, though. And if not the Crows, which direction the next threat would come from.

But, he couldn’t do anything about any of that at the moment. Right now all he could focus on was that the only woman he’d ever loved was taking a walk with him. He had to let himself find the contentment in that.

“Trace said you have a meeting today,” Cassie said. “What’s it about? Is something happening?”

He shook his head. They didn’t discuss details of the meetings outside the meeting room. It’s just the way things worked. Of course, she lived there at the clubhouse with them, so she’d hear some things. And she would know something had happened with Devil and Hawk a few months back. He’d been glad that Trace had stayed behind with her on that job. So, she wouldn’t know everything, or that there was still the possibility of a threat out there.

But, she trusted him to keep her and their son safe. And he’d do whatever it took to make sure he never disappointed her in that. “Just a routine meeting.” She relaxed at that then instantly tensed again at the sound of approaching bikes. After almost a year with them, he would have thought she’d be over that instant reaction. Not yet, though. He glanced over his shoulder and saw Arrow already heading away from the bikes and toward the clubhouse. It was time, then.

“I’ve got to go in,” he said, pressing his lips to her cheek. “Are you going to come inside or keep walking?”

“I think I’ll stay out a little while longer. It’s nice to be able to walk in nice weather again.”

He hesitated then nodded. Even though he felt uneasy about it, he headed into the clubhouse, leaving her alone outside. No one would get to her out here. She was safe.

Icarus nearly ran into Arrow as he neared the porch. He knew he’d hear anything he’d learned when they were in the meeting. But, he wasn’t sure he could stand to wait even that long. He grabbed the younger man’s arm and nudged him toward the side of the porch. Something in Arrow’s face told him he wasn’t going to like whatever he had to say.

The Crows might have been the more recent threat, but the one he’d sent Arrow to check on would always be the more serious. “What did you find?” Icarus asked him.

Arrow glanced at him then away again. “You sure you don’t want to wait?”

“I’m sure I want to know if there’s a threat. I want to know if Cassie and Trace are still safe.”

“I don’t know, man. I can only tell you what I saw, and it didn’t look that good. I’m sorry.”

“What did you see?”

He wasn’t sure if the young man would have told him, but Chief stepped into the doorway then. “You two going to join us?” the club president asked.

Icarus wanted to know more about what Arrow had found, but he didn’t have a chance now. He’d just have to wait to hear Arrow’s report along with everyone else.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Just what did Arrow see? And what’s it going to lead to? Hang on, and you just might find out.